Nebula in the Arena
by RickRolland
Summary: Following Eclipsa's high-stakes trial before the Magic High Commission, Star finds herself struggling to reconcile with her parents and make amends for her family's past. With the prospect of a political disaster just a knife-edge away, the young princess proposes a unique solution, one that would change her home planet forever.
1. Nobodies

**(A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to "Nebula in the Arena", my latest fanfiction and the first entry in my new three-part _Star vs. the Forces of Evil_ fanfiction series. This story is a reimagining of Season 3b, featuring events that will hopefully leave you intrigued and anticipating what's to come. I appreciate any kind of feedback you may have, and hope you enjoy!)**

* * *

**Season 3, Episode 15a: Nobodies**

* * *

Star Butterfly bolted her way out of the Bureaucracy of Magic, her mother trailing close behind. The clomping of boots and the sound of heavy breathing filled the hallway, eerily resonating off of the walls. Every corner they rounded and stairwell they hastily plopped down provided Star just a little bit more of a lead in the race to the ground floor lobby.

"Star! Come back here this instant!" exclaimed Moon between labored breaths.

Star forged on, disregarding any of her mother's words. Anxiety and fear rapidly surged through her veins, her heart racing as the unsettling revelations of Eclipsa's trial replayed over and over inside her head. As she darted in front of Sean's unoccupied desk, she knew her opportunity to escape was presenting itself. She pulled out a pair of Dimensional Scissors from her purse, holding them several inches away from her.

Moon reached out towards her daughter in vain. "Wait! Don't go, Star!"

While still racing forwards, the Mewnian princess sliced open a portal, dashing into it and out of sight. Moon dove towards the open portal, hoping she'd just be able to slip through and continue following Star. Just inches away from the portal's entrance, it snapped shut and disappeared. Moon came down onto the hard and filthy linoleum floor on her stomach, sliding for several feet before coming to a stop.

"Bother," muttered Moon to herself. She stood back up, gently sweeping the dirt off of her dress with her gloved hands.

Now more determined than ever to catch up with her daughter, Moon took out her own pair of Dimensional Scissors. Almost instinctively, she opened a portal to Butterfly Castle and stepped inside. Upon exiting through the other side, Moon found herself standing underneath the castle's rear portico. She took note of her position, hoping she'd soon be able to find Star.

"I hope she didn't run too far off," thought Moon. A palpable sensation of unease arose in her as she turned around, looking to see if Star was anywhere nearby.

As she gazed towards the nearby castle courtyard, she found what she was looking for. Star was seated at a wooden picnic table several yards away, facing away from the castle. Her elbows were propped up on top of the table, her head resting on the palms of her hands. Not wanting to startle her, Moon softly walked towards her. As she passed by a fancy marble fountain in the courtyard's center, she carefully got Star's attention.

"Star, I can tell you're upset about what happened to Eclipsa," said Moon in a calm voice. "You seemed rather frightened about it earlier. Would you be be up to talking about it now?"

Star slowly turned around to face her mother. Looking her in the eyes, she nodded in approval.

"Sure."

Moon sat down on the bench opposite Star. After pausing for a few moments to collect her thoughts, she continued her line of thinking.

"To put it lightly, that trial was sure… interesting."

"The truth's out now, at least," said Star. "Turns out, Eclipsa didn't do anything wrong, after all. She just fell in love."

Moon, however, felt there was more to it than romantic attachment. "I'm afraid there's much more to Eclipsa's story than that. It seems that she didn't exactly bring to mind the consequences of leaving her kingdom behind in her pursuit of affection."

"But Mom, can't you see? Eclipsa's name was smeared for centuries, all because she fell in love with a Monster. The MHC froze her and broke her family apart. Now do you understand how she feels?"

"Admittedly, she did have a child out of wedlock."

"So?" retorted Star, looking progressively more irritated by the second. "Queen Solaria did too! How could you ever punish someone for just falling in love? You just fell in love with Dad one day!"

"As intense as my love was for your father, and still is today, I never fled from my responsibilities just so I could spend more time with him. Eclipsa, on the other hand, left her kingdom behind in the dust. She had greater responsibilities to fulfill, and she decided instead to do what made her happy. She didn't consider what would happen to anyone else, except for her."

The Mewnian princess's unyielding attitude only intensified. "What difference does it make? The MHC still lied to us. Festivia should never have been made queen, it just wasn't fair!"

"Life isn't fair, dear. I think you'll come to understand that one day."

"It doesn't have to be! Think about it, Mom. If we just turned back the clock and made things they way they should have been, we could make it like none of this ever happened. We could set things right for once."

A dash of suspicion filled Moon's eyes. "What exactly are you suggesting we should do, Star?"

"Face it, Mom. We're not real Butterflies, and we never will be. We're fakes. Nobodies. But Eclipsa is, and so is her daughter, Meteora. Meteora is the kingdom's true heir, not us. All we'd have to do is find her, and—and let her have the throne she rightfully deserves!"

"Star, don't even start about Meteora," protested Moon. "We don't know if she's even alive anymore."

"You know Miss Heinous, right?"

"That hag who runs St. Olga's? What does she have anything to do with Meteora?"

"Mom, Miss Heinous is Meteora."

Moon's face lit up in surprise. "Wait, what?! You have to be joking."

"I'm not kidding, I saw it myself. Back during the Monster Bash, me and the others ended up in this weird, ancient nursery in the basement of the Monster Temple. Miss Heinous was there, then Mina showed up, and that's when we found out about Heinous' true identity!"

"That sounds preposterous."

Star raised her wand up in the air, aiming at the tall limestone barrier surrounding the courtyard.

_"Terrific Tantalizing Telecine!"_

A tremendous beam of light shot out of the wand, shining brightly onto the side of the courtyard wall. A zoomed-in image of the wall came into focus.

"I'm not making any of this up," explained Star. "Look."

The Mewnian princess turned the wand's center star counter-clockwise a couple times with her left hand before pushing it inwards. A video recording from the Monster Bash played as soon as she lifted her hand away.

* * *

_"But… how is this possible?" asked Gemini, a bewildered expression on his face._

_"Oh, it's possible, all right!" called out Mina Loveberry. She stood before the others defiantly. "I knew you'd be back here one day, Meteora!"_

_Gemini marched towards Mina, arms akimbo. His mouth puckered, forming a displeased frown._

_"I beg your pardon! This is Miss Heinous, the honorable headmistress of St. Olga's School for Wayward Princesses!"_

_"No… Meteora," admitted Heinous. "That is my name. At least, it was my name a long, long time ago."_

_A pair of club symbols formed on her cheeks, glowing brilliantly._

* * *

"I can't believe it," sputtered Moon. "Meteora's still alive, after more than three hundred years."

Star placed her wand on the table and pressed the center inward again, deactivating the spell. "See? Now all we have to do is figure out where she is, and let her take the throne!"

"Star, giving the throne to Meteora would almost certainly spell disaster. She's dangerous, and we have no idea what her true intentions might be."

"If everyone on Mewni found out what the MHC did to Eclipsa and Meteora, just imagine what they'd think! No one is gonna let an injustice like that slip by! They'd want the right thing to be done!"

Moon disagreed. "What the public would think about it is a whole other story entirely. They're probably even more averse towards Monsters than the MHC. Their views haven't ever changed, nor will they ever."

"It's the least we could do, Mom! Look at all the evil our family's done in the name of fighting the Monsters. I'm tired of fighting all the time. All I've done since I turned fourteen is fight. I fought Ludo, I fought Toffee, and now I'm fighting you, the MHC, our past, and everyone else!"

Tears welled up inside of Star's normally bright eyes. She paused for a moment, wiping her eyes with her arm before letting out a long sigh.

"I… I just wish there was peace for once, Mom."

Moon sighed. "Star, one day you'll come to understand that the past is all behind us. There's nothing we can do about that now. We need to recognize we made mistakes and move on from that. Soon, you'll understand that Mewni's problems aren't going to be solved by you being distraught over things that are set in stone. I think you still need to have some time to calm down about the trial."

"But Mom—"

"I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

Moon stood up from the bench and turned in the direction of the castle, making her way back inside.

"Wait! Mom! Come back!"

Confusion and sadness washed over Star again as her mother left her in courtyard, disappearing from view as she went into the castle via the portico. Another lengthy sigh exited Star's lips and a frown spread across her face. Reaching into her yellow, star-shaped purse, she pulled out Glossaryck and placed him on top of the table.

"Glossaryck, I know your mind's kinda out of whack right now, but you gotta listen to me. The MHC is nothing but a bunch of liars. I want to do what's best for the kingdom, even if it means giving up the throne to fix the past. What do you think? Am I right for thinking about letting Meteora take my mom's place?"

The mythical being thought pensively for several seconds before issuing a reply.

"Globgor!"

"Ugh!" yelled Star, frustration flowing through her. "You're not helping!"

The young princess took her wand in her hands again and pointed it at Glossaryck.

_"Double Dreamy Paradise Blast!"_

A pink beam of magic filled with vanilla ice cream cones and fluffy clouds surrounded Glossaryck. Almost instantaneously, his eyes shut closed and he drifted off into a deep sleep. Star placed him back inside her purse gently, along with her wand.

"Well, that went about as well as I expected," grumbled Star, a jaded tone filling her voice.

From the distance, a voice called out to the Mewnian princess.

"Hey, Star!"

It was none other than her best friend, Marco. Ornate iron plate armor covered his long, slender legs, and a large cuirass embossed with Butterfly dynasty symbols was secured over his chest.

"Hey, Marco. I take it you're back from training again?"

The teenage boy's face lit up in excitement. "Yep! I just got back from sword practice with Higgs and the others. It was really fun!"

"Yeah, I bet it was." Star tried putting on a brave face, but her smile faded almost instantly.

"Hey, is everything all right? What happened? Did Eclipsa's trial go okay?"

"If I'm being honest, Marco… a lot of stuff happened at that trial. And after all that was said, I don't think the kingdom will ever be the same again."

"What do you mean, Star?" asked Marco.

Star recalled everything that happened during Eclipsa's trial to Marco, complete with the truth about her family's ancestry, the MHC's past wrongs, Sean's obnoxiously loud court reporting debut, and, of course, Rhombulus's begrudging admission of his strong crush on Queen Moon.

"So, uh… I guess that means you're not related to Eclipsa, after all."

Star's face became even more downtrodden. "It means I'm a fake Butterfly, Marco. It means I'm destined to inherit the throne because of a string of lies. I have to do something about it."

"What were you thinking about doing to fix it?"

"Right now… I'm thinking I want Meteora to take my mom's place and become queen."

"Wait, what?" exclaimed Marco, his voice two octaves higher than usual. "Don't you remember what she tried to do to me at the Monster Bash? She almost sucked all of my life force out!"

"I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Remember how much calmer she looked, after she accepted who she really was?"

"Yeah…?"

"Being cooped up in Princess Jail under a false name for three hundred years would make anyone go insane, Marco. It's obvious that Meteora's had a really tough life. I think that if we gave her what's rightfully hers, we could make it up to her."

The Mewnian princess was met by a look of concern from her friend. "You really think that would be the right decision? You've been destined to be the next queen for your whole life, Star. You're just gonna throw it all away?"

"If Mewni's gonna change, it's gotta change from the inside," said Star. "The Monster Bash was a failure. Mewmans and Monsters still aren't united. Nothing's gonna be any different unless we do something huge."

"Don't you think you could try something else? Maybe something less extreme than playing chess with who's queen and all?"

Star sighed. "Marco, I don't deserve to be queen. I'm a nobody. Meteora isn't. I hope someday I'll figure out what I want to be, but being Queen of Mewni wouldn't be doing what's right for everyone."

"Not to try to change your mind, but have you talked to anyone else about this idea?"

"Just Mom and Glossaryck. Obviously, neither were very enthusiastic about my idea."

"I'm not sure if this would help, but I'm visiting my parents on Friday. They're not experts on royalty or anything, but maybe if you came with me, they'd be able to help sort things out. And I get it if you're busy because you and Tom are going on a date again, or if—"

"Actually, I'd really like to go. I haven't seen your parents in a while, and I kinda need to apologize for up and leaving like I did at the End of the School Year party."

Marco placed his hand on Star's shoulder, comforting her. "You're always welcome to come back and visit. Not even a lizard lawyer's plans could change that."

"Aww…" cooed Star, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Marco, your parents are so good to me."

"No problem, Star. I know there's a lot on your mind right now, but would you be up to helping me practice my sword skills for a bit? Higgs knocked me on my butt for hours today."

"Sure thing, Marco. I think it might help me feel a bit better, too."

The two teenagers walked back into Butterfly Castle together, hoping a little combat practice would help them decompress after the sobering news from Eclipsa's trial. They made their way up the stairs to Star's room, hoping that within the days to come, the answer to the problem of Meteora would soon be at hand.


	2. Marco Jr

**(A/N): My current plan is to try to make biweekly updates, but I will push back postings if my schedule gets backed up. I aim to post one chapter on Tuesday, and the other on Friday, during update weeks. Like with the previous chapter, I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

**Season 3, Episode 15b: Marco Jr.**

* * *

Star and Marco stepped out of a dimensional portal and into Echo Creek. The two teenagers immediately began heading towards the Diaz house, which stood several yards in front of them.

"Wow," said Star. "It's been an eternity since I was last here on Earth."

"Me too, Star," added Marco. "I'm sure my parents will be happy to see us,"

After approaching the front door of the house, the teenage squire softly knocked on it three times. After a brief pause, the door slowly came open, and they were each greeted by Marco's dad, Rafael. He quickly stepped forward, enveloping Star and Marco in a large hug.

"Marco! Star! It's so nice to see you again!"

"Hey! How's it been here at the Diaz house?" asked the Mewnian princess.

"Mostly the same as usual, with one small change."

"What kinda change?" asked Marco. "We get new wallpaper or something while I was away?"

Rafael turned around and yelled in the direction of the stairwell. "Oh, honey! Star and Marco are here!"

Angie came down the stairs from the second floor and walked towards the front of the house until she was directly aside her husband. Like usual, she wore an orange shirt with an olive green skirt underneath. However, one very obvious difference presented itself almost instantly: her normally trim abdomen protruded several inches outwards, taking on the shape of a sphere.

Marco's jaw dropped wide open. "Y-You're pregnant?!"

"Yep!" confirmed Angie.

A high-pitched squeal escaped Star's lips, a Cheshire grin quickly running from one side of her face to the other. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Marco's gonna have a baby brother or baby sister!"

"And pretty soon, it seems like," added Marco, looking at his mother's round stomach in disbelief.

"We wanted it to be a surprise for you, mijo!" explained Rafael.

"It sure was one," said Marco, the confusion on his face pronouncing itself even more.

Angie reached her arms outwards towards her son. "Could I have a hug, Marco?"

"Sure thing, Mom."

Marco weakly gave his mother a hug, his arms barely reaching around her shoulders.

Star folded her arms in contempt. "Marco, you're not gonna hurt the baby! Give your mom a real hug!"

Marco's expression changed to one of slight shame. "Okay, sorry."

He moved closer to Angie and came up close to her, placing his arms around her in a bigger, more heartfelt embrace.

"So, aside from all the pregnancy news, what else is going on?" asked Star.

"We were going to stop by the OB to have an ultrasound," said Angie.

"What's an OB?"

"An obstetrician. A doctor who takes care of babies who haven't been born yet. I don't suppose you want to come with us?"

Star's palpable excitement nearly doubled. "Absolutely! There's no way we'd wanna miss out. Right, Marco?"

"You'd be right, Star," answered Marco in agreement.

The four made their way out of the front door and headed towards the open garage. Parked to the right of the antiquated family minivan was a sleek, brand new sedan with a luster coat of deep blue paint.

"You guys got a new car, too?" asked Marco.

"After driving the minivan for over fifteen years, it was time for something different," said Angie.

Star sat in the left rear seat, while Marco took the seat on the right side. Almost immediately, the Mewnian princess took to the comfort controls on the armrest. She giggled slightly as she raised and lowered the window screen a few times.

"I like the window things!" said Star, entertained and excited.

"The leather seats are really comfy, too," added Marco.

"It's a little different, but I'll get used to it," added Rafael, placing the keys into the ignition and starting the car. Backing out of the driveway and turning into the street, the four of them began the fifteen minute drive to the obstetrician's office.

* * *

Star walked with the Diaz family into an examination room, lead by the receptionist. Angie took a seat on top of a maroon-colored table in the center of the room, while everyone else sat down in green chairs positioned near the back wall.

"Dr. Henderson will be with you in a couple minutes."

"Sounds great," said Angie.

"So, mom, how long have you known the OB?" asked Marco.

"She was my OB since the time I was pregnant with you."

"Wow," said Star in amazement. "You've known her for a loooong time, then."

"Let's just say we've been on a first name basis for a while."

The door to the room opened, and the obstetrician walked in. She was about Angie's age, with long, straight red hair, blue eyes, and with sparse freckles dotting her face. She wore a blue dress shirt and dark pants, with a white doctor's coat over her shirt.

"Good afternoon, Angie! How's your day been?" asked the doctor.

"Oh, it's been fine, Cynthia!" answered Angie. "I spent some time hanging out around the house. Then, my son, Marco came to visit, along with his best friend, Star Butterfly."

Cynthia turned to face the Mewnian princess. "So you're Star."

"Yeah! This is the first time I've ever seen an OB before. All I really know about them is that they like to wear fancy lab coats."

The custom blue embroidery on Cynthia's lab coat spelled out all of her qualifications: Dr. Cynthia M. Henderson, M.D., Obstetrics and Gynecology.

"You'd be right, Star. Don't worry about all the abbreviations, though. You can call me Cynthia."

"You must have gone to school for a long time to get all that," supposed Marco.

"It was a lot of hard work, but I don't regret it one bit. Being able to care for patients like your mom is the best part of my job."

Cynthia then turned to her patient to prepare for the ultrasound.

"All right, first thing's first. Has anything changed since the last time we met?"

Angie's hands moved downwards, softly coming to rest around her baby bump. "Not that I can tell. The baby's been kicking a lot, like usual, and I'm starting to look and feel… well… pregnant."

Cynthia laughed. "As the mother of two young boys, I know exactly what you're talking about. Being pregnant stinks sometimes, but it's all worth it in the end!"

"Oh, yes," said Angie.

"Next, let's have you get on the bed and we're going to see how your baby's doing!"

Angie laid down supine on the table. She then slowly pulled her dull orange shirt upwards, exposing her noticeably round, firm abdomen.

"One thing's for sure, Angie," said Cynthia, removing the flip cap off of a small tube of ultrasound gel and taking it in her hand. "You definitely fit the mold of being a pregnant woman."

"It'd be pretty hard to not notice," mentioned Rafael.

Cynthia squeezed a generously sized amount of the light blue gel onto Angie's stomach, then placed the ultrasound's probe into the gel and began moving it around.

"What's the jelly stuff for?" asked Star.

"It makes sure we'll get a good picture on the screen from the ultrasound machine, which will let us take a look at the baby."

An image formed on the computer monitor attached to the machine. The baby was in the center, floating inside of Angie's womb and occasionally moving around.

"There," mentioned Cynthia, pointing to the center of the screen. "You can see the baby really well."

"Oooh…" whispered Star in awe.

Cynthia occasionally moved the probe around, looking at the monitor to get a view of the area around the baby and the other organs inside of Angie's abdomen.

"From what I can see, you're bound to be due in late March or early April, Angie. Everything looks like it's going smoothly, and your baby is at a healthy size for this point in your pregnancy."

"So, is it a boy or a girl?" asked Marco.

"The thing is, it's kinda hard to tell," answered Cynthia. "The baby's in a spot where it's hard to see from this angle."

A slight tinge of disappointment presented itself on Star's face. "Awww, that stinks!"

"Don't worry," said Angie. "Seeing as we've had trouble finding out for a while, I've been thinking we should find out during delivery. How about you, Rafael?"

"Sure thing! It's just that it would be a big surprise."

"Surprises are fun!" beamed Star. "Aren't they, Marco?"

"You can say that again," returned Marco, his response filled with sarcasm.

Cynthia put the ultrasound probe away and grabbed some wipes from a cabinet at the side of the room. She gently cleaned the ultrasound gel off of Angie and used a paper towel to dry up the excess moisture. Once she was finished, Angie pulled her shirt back down, tucking it back into her skirt.

"I'd like to have one more check-up just before you deliver," mentioned Cynthia. "If you could some back in around a month from now, I think that would work best."

Angie returned her request with a smile. "That's great! I'll make sure to mark it down on my calendar."

"As always, if anything changes, don't hesitate to let me know."

"Not a problem, Cynthia. I know you wouldn't want to miss out on the delivery!"

The doctor got a laugh out of her patient's joking remark. "Oh, Angie. There's always something, isn't there?"

"Yep!"

"Have a good rest of your day!" beamed Cynthia, exiting the room and allowing the door to shut softly behind her.

"I think have got an idea for what we could name the baby!" mentioned Star, excitement emanating from her voice.

"What is it, Star?" asked Angie.

"You could name the baby Marco Jr., after Marco!"

Rafael and Angie quickly burst out laughing at Star's suggestion, much to Marco's chagrin.

"Star, you've gotta be kidding me!" exclaimed Marco, unimpressed.

"What's so bad about it?" asked Star. "It would be neat!"

"Star, you name people after their parents, not their siblings!"

"So what if it's never been done before? It doesn't mean we couldn't try!"

Marco remained unconvinced. "I think it's weird."

"I think it would be really cute!" insisted Star.

"I suppose we should at least consider it!" jokingly remarked Angie.

Marco sighed in mild annoyance. "C'mon, Mom!"

* * *

Angie took a large baking dish out of the oven, setting it down gently on the kitchen table.

"Star, Marco, check this out."

Four large, ceramic ramekins sat on the baking sheet, spaced evenly apart. Each was topped with a layer of slightly browned mashed potatoes.

"Woah…" whispered Marco in admiration. "What is it?"

"Shepherd's pie. It's an old Phalange family recipe, straight from my grandma's cookbook."

The Mewnian princess's intrigue intensified. "Where does the last name 'Phalange' come from, anyway?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Greek," explained Angie. "But my mom's side is Irish."

"Ah, I see," said Star.

Angie carefully set each of the hot ramekins on individual plates before pushing the plates towards the other side of the table, where everyone was seated and ready to eat.

Without hesitating, Star took a bit of the pie. The warm and savory flavor of mashed potatoes, gravy, and lamb quickly surged through her mouth.

"Oh my gosh, it really is as good as it looks."

Angie smiled back at her. "See? The magic of cooking always brings family together."

"It really does," said Star. A sensation of awkwardness entered her mind as she remembered the last time she was on Earth. "Sorry for leaving like I did at the End of the Year Party."

"It's all right, Star. From what we've heard, Toffee was a pretty nasty guy. We're glad you and Marco were able to stop him before he destroyed Mewni."

"Me too," returned Star flatly. She wished she could say more about how she felt, but knew that she couldn't. Tom was her boyfriend now, and bringing up her crush reveal from the party was sure to make both her and Marco uncomfortable.

"Say, do we have any ice cream sandwiches left?" asked Angie, temporarily leaving her seat and heading for the freezer.

"This is the third time you've wanted one today!" retorted her husband.

"You know what they say, you gotta eat for two when you're pregnant!"

"Speaking of babies," interjected Star, "There's a little something that's been going on back on Mewni that I need some advice on."

"What is it?" asked Angie.

"Basically, my great-great-great-something grandma was frozen in a crystal for falling in love and having a kid with a Monster. After Marco and I stopped Toffee, she became free. The MHC wanted to freeze her again because she supposedly did all these horrible things. There was this trial for Eclipsa so we could all see what really happened. And during the trial we found out I'm actually not related to Eclipsa. I descended from Festivia, this peasant girl who got put on the throne by the MHC after Eclipsa's family was crystallized and taken away."

Rafael's latest spoonful into his shepherd's pie abruptly stopped. "So, what you're saying is… you're not really a princess?"

"Well, no," explained Star. "I'm still a princess. The thing is, I shouldn't. That's what Eclipsa's daughter, Meteora, should be. I think my mom should abdicate and have Meteora take the throne, like she deserved to. I just don't know how to do it."

"It would just be so… different if you weren't royalty," noted Angie. "It's part of who you are, Star. You've always been that spunky teen princess who kicks the butts of Monsters and defends her kingdom."

"But that's the problem," said Star. "I'm defined by what others think I should be, not who I really am. There's so many things I have to do now that I'm back on Mewni. I can't go dimension hopping or hang out with friends without my royalty standing in the way. I have to do something about it."

Angie sighed. "As hard as it is, I see where you're coming from."

"But my mom doesn't see it the same way," continued Star, somewhat discouraged. "I don't know how I'd be able to get through to her about it."

"Are you sure that Meteora wants to be queen?" asked Angie.

"Being queen would sure beat running Princess Jail," remarked Star, sarcasm filling her voice.

"This might come off as silly, but what would change if she became queen?"

"The MHC's wrongs against Eclipsa would be fixed, and Monsters won't be seen as evil any more."

"But, what will you do when you're no longer a princess?" interjected Rafael.

Star deflected his concerns. "I'm… not sure. But I can always figure that out later."

"Right," said Marco. "The thing is, where do we start? Queen Moon doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of our idea, and unless she—"

"Hold on," interrupted Star. "I think I have an idea."

"What is it?" asked the teenage squire, perplexed.

Star laid out her plan simply, but concisely. "We could find Meteora, bring her to my mom, and show her how she feels. This could be the thing we need to convince her to support my idea!"

Marco was curious, but concerned. "Where are we going to find her?"

Star thought for a brief moment, then returned an answer.

"Marco, we have to go back to Saint O's."


	3. Skooled!

**(A/N: Yikes. It sure looks like Star's got a pretty big problem on her hands. Her friends don't have it nearly as bad as she does, right?)**

* * *

**Season 3, Episode 16a: Skooled!**

* * *

A lone carriage arrived at St. Olga's Reform School for Wayward Princesses. With the thirty minute journey from the Cloud Kingdom finally over, Pony Head pushed the carriage's door open with her nose and ventured outside into the waiting crowd of princesses at the school gate.

"Yo, girls! What's shaking around here?" asked the teenage princess.

Princess Arms ran towards her, giving her a hug. "Pony Head! It's been a while!"

The teenage equine returned a large smile. "No kidding! How are things around here these days?"

"Pretty chill, for the most part. Seeing as it's been a year since we sent Heinous packing, we're making brunch to celebrate the occasion."

"That sounds dope, you guys! Where's all this partying going down?"

"Everyone's gathered in the common room. Want us to show you around?"

"Absolutely, fam!"

Pony Head followed the others into the common room, a vast area containing several round tables, each surrounded by wooden chairs. Seemingly hundreds of empty pizza boxes littered the scene, some still sopping with grease or strings of cheese. Eighty or so princesses were lounging about the space, mainly talking about pleasantries or absentmindedly playing with their mirror phones. The room's centerpiece was an oversized karaoke machine. Standing against the back wall, it featured a wall projector, vinyl record turntable, bulky black speakers, and a microphone stand.

"So, where'd you find this beauty over here?" asked Pony Head. She took a long look at the karaoke machine, taking in all its features.

Princess Arms giggled softly, a slight grin forming on her face before she answered. "If I'm being completely honest, we stole it from Heinous's old office."

"What are you talking about?" interrupted a rat princess. "We didn't steal it! We're just borrowing it. _Permanently._"

"Hate to break it to you, girly, but I'm pretty sure that's just called stealing," sighed the teenage equine.

The rat princess remained insistent. "But is it really?"

"Well, there is a way to find out," said Princess Arms as she pulled out her mirror phone. "Everyone, we're going to play Ohshoot!"

All of the princesses stirred and dashed to launch Ohshoot. They typed in their user names, which slowly popped up on the projector. After Princess Arms confirmed that everyone who wanted to play had joined in, she started the game.

"All right, everyone. Here's your question: Is permanently borrowing something considered stealing?"

Three choices were presented on the screen: "Without second thought!", labeled in blue; "Of course not!", labeled in red; and "Only if you get caught!", labeled in green. Each princess mashed one of the corresponding buttons on their mirror phones before glaring upwards at the screen with bated breath. The voting was complete in a flash, indicated by the sound of a gong playing.

The rat princess didn't hesitate to read out the responses. "The results are: 84% red, 10% blue, and 6% green! These results clearly indicate that permanently borrowing isn't the same as stealing!"

Pony Head rolled her eyes and scoffed. "That's baloney!"

"Ohshoot never lies!" retorted a reptilian princess.

"I still don't buy it."

"Pony Head, would you mind coming with me to the office to grab some records for the karaoke machine?" asked Princess Arms. She hoped a small task would assuage her friend's palpable embarrassment.

The teenage equine lit up once more. "No problem, girl!"

Pony Head followed behind Princess Arms as she walked to Miss Heinous's old office. The princesses had ransacked it following their prison break a year earlier, leaving it much more visibly cluttered than the common room. Piles of assorted junk and sundries littered the room from top to bottom. A large oak desk lay overturned in the center of the floor, contents spilling from its opened drawers. Perhaps the strangest sight of all were the disorganized heaps of vinyl records scattered about the floor.

Pony Head examined the room thoughtfully. "Old Heinous was into records too, huh?"

"From what the others told me, Heinous was really into punk rock and heavy metal," explained Princess Arms. "Supposedly, there are even a couple novelty records in the pile somewhere. You'd just have to find them among the hundreds of others she's got."

"Maybe some other day, Patty," muttered Pony Head. She was in no mood to sift through someone else's trash. "I'm going to pick a few up and hope they're the good ones."

The teenage equine took about five records into her mouth before going back into the common room. Approaching the karaoke machine, she dumped the records on the ground before taking one and placing it on the turntable. Using her horn, Pony Head nudged the tone arm over and the record began playing. The harsh sound of an overdriven bass guitar rang out of the speakers, followed by a drum set and a synthesizer.

A couple princesses walked in from the opposite side, carrying trays stacked high with plates and breakfast food.

"Brunch is ready, everyone!" declared Princess Arms. Her mind was clearly set on devouring whatever she could lay her eyes on.

Waffles selectively adorned, some with strawberries, chocolate chips, and bananas, covered several plates. Bacon, both crispy and tender, lined sheets in between the plates. Over-easy, poached, soft boiled, and deviled eggs completed the line-up.

Pony Head used the lip of a plate to scoop up some waffles and bacon, then gathered next to some other princesses and starting digging in. Almost immediately, the mastery of the princess' cooking became apparent.

"Dang, girl! These waffles are hard to beat!"

"You bet they are!" noted Princess Arms. "I spent two weeks looking for a good recipe."

"It's sure worth it, I haven't had waffles like this in years!" chimed the rat princess.

A noticeably younger girl with dirty blonde hair came over towards the teenagers, joining in the conversation. She could easily pass for a kindergartner, given her short stature and high, floaty voice.

"My name's Melody. Before we were freed from Miss Heinous's evil rule, I never had waffles before."

"Well, you can thank B-Fly and Earth Turd for that!" exclaimed Pony Head. "I was a goner after Heinous brainwashed me. Without those two, I was toast."

The young princess continued captivating herself with her own recollection, her voice climbing in pitch as she went on. "It was really cool when Princess Turdina was said, 'It's not criminal to be an individual'! I wish Turdina would come back here some day."

"To be clear, Turdina's pretty busy right now because of knight training," explained Pony Head.

Princess Arms seemed confused. "Why would Turdina want to be one of those? That sounds like a downgrade to me. What do you think, Melody?"

"Maybe Turdina wants to be the first princess who ever became a knight!"

"Maaaaaaybe…" added Pony Head. She didn't want to spill the beans to Melody about Turdina's true identity, so she continued playing along with the others. "It was also real neat when B-Fly used that one spell to blow up the crystal tower, so we could make our esc—"

Without warning, a loud rumble rocked the side of the former prison. Several girls, startled by the noise, immediately jolted forward in shock.

"Woah!" yelled Princess Arms. "What was that?"

All conversation in the room slammed to a halt as everyone inside came to the realization that there had been an explosion.

"I'm gonna figure out what's going on out there!" yelled Pony Head. She moved over towards the nearest window, looking for the cause of the blast. Melody and a few others quickly joined her at the windowsill.

A thick cloud blanketed the right side of the defensive wall surrounding the school. As the dust settled, it exposed a recently-formed, jagged hole two yards across in it. While still trying to grasp what happened, the princesses were caught off-guard by another, more disturbing sight: Meteora, Gemini and Rasticore were scrambling through the opening and into the courtyard.

"Miss Heinous is back!" exclaimed Melody, fright flooding her voice.

Princess Arms slapped her hand against a large, red button nearby. The harsh blare of a klaxon filled the air, and red lights flashed around the entire school. Picking up the microphone for the karaoke machine, she gave grim orders.

"General quarters! General quarters! All hands, man your battle stations! This is not a drill! Miss Heinous is back, and with a vengeance! Front and right side to the ground floor! Back and left to the top floor!"

Any semblance of order left in the room instantly collapsed into chaos. Princesses clamored over each other as the confusion of the alert took hold. Tables and chairs toppled over, sending volumes of food and drink crashing to the ground. Some hastily took whatever shelter they could find, hoping to hide out the battle. Others grabbed the nearest object that could be used as a weapon and ran to the entrance. The robots designed to protect the school soon joined those who chose to stand up and fight.

As Meteora, Gemini, and Rasticore closed in on the entrance of the school, they quickly found a ragtag army of two hundred lining the front courtyard, roof, and balcony, ready to wage war.

Pony Head leered defiantly at the three invaders. "Back off, Heinous! This school belongs to us now!"

"We're not going down without a fight!" added Princess Arms, raising a rolling pin into the air as if it were a sword.

"Stay away from us!" added another princess.

Meteora stood firm and undeterred, scowling back at the school's would-be defenders. "Gemini! Dispatch those robots at once! I'm in no mood to negotiate with this recalcitrant rabble!"

Gemini pulled out a remote control out of his uniform and pressed his index finger against a button in the upper right corner. "Yes, milady!"

The eyes of all the schools' robots immediately turned from yellow to red. Falling under Gemini's command, each automaton tore open its chest compartment and took its mechanical heart in hand before tossing it back towards the princesses.

Princess Arms cowered as the hearts flew towards her and the others. "Take cover, everyone!"

The princesses fell to the ground in unison, defilading beneath the cover of the balcony. The robots' hearts hit the ground and superstructure of the school, detonating on contact. Wood fragments pulverized the front of St. Olga's, followed by billowing collections of thick, off-white dust. Though Princess Arms's line of sight was severely obscured, she desperately peered through the clouds in an attempt to find Meteora. Instead, she found Melody, now standing precariously close to an unexploded heart bomb.

"Someone, help! There's a bomb!"

Princess Arms dropped her rolling pin and dashed towards the heart bomb, lobbing it backwards over her shoulder. Sailing through the air, it scored a direct hit on Meteora's torso. The half-Monster groaned before emerging from the blast seconds later. The plume of her dress was tattered and her arms bore markings from the bomb's shrapnel, but she was otherwise unfazed.

Pony Head got the attention of those around her, coordinating their next move in the battle. "Our defenses aren't working! We have to fall back!"

Princess Arms aided Pony Head in leading a hasty retreat back inside the school. As they began to spill into the common room, a new strategy for the battle emerged.

"Take anything you can find, and board up this place!" ordered Princess Arms. "If we can't fight them back, we'll box them out!"

Everyone in sight tossed whatever they could find—pizza boxes, tables, and records—through the windows to block the front entrance, desperately trying to prevent any further breach of the school. Quickly exhausting their supply of refuse, the princesses stared towards the entrance, hoping for a miracle.

Princess Arms's confident leadership began to crack as the true stakes of the fight sank in. "I hope that's enough to stop them!"

The calamity of the siege slowly began fading away, until at last, there was a second of silence. Then two. Then another. And another. The princesses celebrated internally as the return to calm began to spread throughout the room.

"There," muttered Pony Head. "I think we've held them back. Now, let's—"

The newfound silence was abruptly shattered by the unmistakable sound of a portal opening and a gasoline powered engine running. The princesses could do little but watch in horror as Rasticore hacked and sliced his way inside of St. O's using his Dimensional Chainsaw. Gemini and Meteora joined his side within seconds.

"Did you miss me?" asked the Septarian mercenary menacingly.

Screams of terror masked the chainsaw's ominous roar as princesses scrambled around, fleeing deeper into the school. Princess Arms continued fighting back, this time using the end of a long broom to keep Meteora from advancing. It was only seconds before the former headmistress had grasped a hold of it with her hands. Snapping the broom in half, she pinned Princess Arms against the wall by forcing the two broken ends of the broom through her dress.

Gemini commanded another prison robot to throw a heart bomb towards Pony Head. "This is sure to take you out, you horrendous horse!"

Pony Head dodged the bomb by inches, spinning around as it flew overhead and crashed into the wall behind her before exploding. "Woah, man! Not cool! You almost got me there!"

"Enough fooling around!" yelled Meteora. "Rasticore! Gemini! Put down this prison riot, now!"

Seeing the opportunity to prove himself, Rasticore chased after any princesses left in his line of sight. Any girls brazen enough to remain in the common room at this point quickly fled away with Pony Head, desperately darting around to avoid ending up on the business end of the Septarian mercenary's deadly chainsaw. Not wanting to be outdone, Gemini spammed the takeover button on his remote, sending heart bombs haphazardly flying about the room. One by one, the karaoke machine, brunch table, roof trusses, conduits, and light fixtures met explosive ends, sending the room plunging into an ominous, smoke-filled darkness as debris rained down from overhead.

A peculiar wave of satisfaction washed over Meteora as the last of the defenders were chased out of the room, leaving only destruction behind. "There we are. Finally, some peace and quiet. Now let's find what we came here for."

The former headmistress led her allies into a side room, a laboratory filled with experimental equipment used for testing the various robots around the school. A severely outdated model covered in dust and dirt lay in a heap at the back of the room.

Meteora pointed towards the antiquated gynoid. "Here, Gemini. Plug her in. It's time she got a wake-up call."

Gemini tugged on the oversized power brick attached to the robot and shoved it into a nearby outlet. Almost immediately, she stirred to life.

Meteora grinned. "Welcome back, St. Olga. It's been a while."

"What happened?" asked the robot, stunned to be operational once again. "Did you deactivate me?!"

"It doesn't matter. All I ask is for you to show me the file of my tutelage here from your archives."

A projection emanated out of St. Olga's eyes onto the wall in front of her. A series of videos played in sequence. "One day, I found you out on the street, dirty and destitute. I took you here, and raised you as my own. You became my most prized student and eventually came to take my place as head of the school."

Displeasure quickly overtook Meteora's face. "Gemini, this can't be it. Make her show me the real file."

"This is the real file," insisted St. Olga.

"Rubbish!"

Gemini pressed the same button on his robot controller. St. Olga's eyes turned red, and after a few seconds, a much different image appeared on the screen.

"Perfect."

The presentation which now played completely contradicted St. Olga's earlier tale. A series of video clips of Meteora's persistent mistreatment throughout the years displayed on screen, from her childhood, up through her early twenties. One clip showed St. Olga forcing Meteora to hide her tail. Another featuring her powdering away Meteora's green, club-shaped cheek marks. A third depicting the caretaker robot insulting Meteora's appearance. After seeing just a few clips, it was too much for her to bear any longer.

"Gemini, rewind it to the very beginning!"

The tape was forcibly rewound, showing St. Olga's encounter with King Shastacan around three hundred years prior.

"Your Majesty, you summoned me here?" asked St. Olga.

Shastascan scowled, bitterness evident in the delivery of his words. "Yes. I need your assistance, urgently."

"What seems to be the matter?"

Shastacan reached into a crib, lifting out a half-Monster baby and holding it in his arms. "This… thing! It's the offspring of my wife, Eclipsa, and that putrid monster she ran away with."

St. Olga approached the king, remaining stiff and as monotone as ever. "What do you suppose I do with her?"

Shastacan shoved the baby over into St. Olga's waiting arms. "Go and raise her at your school. She deserves nothing of my lineage. She's absolutely heinous!

"Heinous? Is that what they named her? That's a wonderful name."

Gemini forced St. Olga to stop playback, and her eyes returned to their normal yellow glow.

Meteora continued staring at the wall projection in disbelief. "I was destined to be Queen of Mewni…"

"You should have some respect for me!" interjected St. Olga, her typically deadpan speech suddenly rising in pitch. "I took care of you better than any other under my care!"

"Oh, you sure did!"

Meteora grasped St. Olga in her hands before shredding her in a fit of violent rage. Pulling her apart from end to end, she snapped the two halves apart before slamming them onto the ground below. The floor was showered with small bits of circuitry and severed wires as Meteora stomped what was left of St. Olga to pieces. Rasticore reeled from the sheer brutality of the display. Even in his experience of being a bounty hunter, this was something that struck him from the inside.

"Hey, uh… it's been nice knowing you and everything, but, well… I don't think this job's right for me after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, I was thinking it was best if I headed out, seeing as this situation is a personal matter. Besides, you've proven can handle yourself pretty well. Once this is all over, we could meet up again. Maybe we could figure something out between us. But we both know that won't ever happen. All you want is more for yourself."

Rasticore began walking off.

"It seems it's just you and me, now," noted Gemini plainly.

The half-Monster just stared back, not saying a word.

"Milady? Is there something—"

The former headmistress opened Gemini's chestplate and ripped his heart out from its housing. Throwing the heart towards Rasticore, the resulting explosion annihilated the bounty hunter's recently-regenerated body.

Gemini stared into Meteora's eyes in disbelief as he felt himself shutting down. "Milady, if you wanted my heart, all you had to do was ask…"

As the last of Gemini's circuits powered down, his knees buckled, sending him falling to the ground with a metallic crash. Marching over to the remnants of Rasticore's forearm, Meteora clenched her first around it and stashed it away.

"Now with that out of the way, the time has come. Time to take back what's mine."

Before Meteora could make her exit, a voice suddenly called out from the distance. "You put my friends' lives in danger! Don't you march out of here like that!"

It was Pony Head, and she was coming back for more. Without a moment's hesitation, the headmistress lunged towards her, quickly forming an iron grip with both hands around Pony Head's delicate horn.

"Someone, help! Heinous has got me!" screamed the teenage equine. She desperately tried to thrash away from the half-Monster's inexorable grasp, but to no avail.

"No one is here to save you," chided the stern headmistress. "You're coming with me."

Maintaining a strong grip on her captive, Meteora dragged Pony Head back inside of the robot laboratory. The room fell into darkness as the headmistress closed the door behind them.

"What a prominent horn you have," observed Meteora, grinning vehemently. "I wonder how well it holds up to wear and tear... especially the latter."

"Oh, no no no no!" squealed Pony Head. "Please don't hurt me! Look, Heinous, I just wanted to—"

Agonizing screams and a macabre ripping sound filled the air, followed by an abrupt silence.


	4. Wanderer

**(A/N): It's been a while since I last updated because college and stress have been occupying my time lately. Thanks for sticking around and for your understanding.**

* * *

**Season 3, Episode 16b: Wanderer**

* * *

A flash of light from an opening interdimensional portal illuminated the bleak landscape of the St. Olga's dimension. Without a moment's hesitation, Star and Marco stuck their heads outside of the portal and peered at the perpetual moonless night which greeted them.

"Doesn't look like St. O's has changed much since we were last here," said Marco.

"Right…" muttered Star. "Ready to head out of the portal?"

"Sure thing, Star."

The two teenagers each stepped out of the portal, waiting until it closed shut behind them to continue walking.

"Any idea where should we go to look in St. Olga's?" asked the Mewnian princess, pointing towards the princess jail. Sparse lighting around the facade of the building clearly isolated it from its jet black surroundings.

The teenage boy shrugged, uncertain. "I don't know, Star. Maybe the foyer?"

"Marco, the obvious place to look has got to be some secret office in the back or something."

"Wouldn't that be too obvious?" he asked. "I mean, basically every horror movie has some part involving a haunted secret compartment."

"Last time I checked, most people around here aren't into—hold, up Marco. Look!"

As the school's outer protective wall came into view, it could be clearly seen that a hole two yards across was punched straight through it—a very puzzling and concerning sight indeed.

"Star?" asked Marco.

"Yeah?" replied Star.

"What's up with that hole in the wall?"

"I mean, I don't know. Maybe if we keep on going, we'll find out."

The two teenagers passed through the irregularly shaped opening, which lead into the courtyard in front of the main entrance. The state of disarray only intensified from there. The facade of the school was crackled and mangled throughout. Pieces of debris slowly drifted down to the ground from the eaves of the building, creating a messy heap near the porch. Among the mess lied a few dozen pizza boxes, assorted furniture, and shreds of exploded heart bombs.

"Something's happened here," guessed Marco. "Something bad."

"From the looks of it, the girls were definitely trying to keep somebody out," reasoned Star. "And the one person who would come back and try to do this would be—"

"Meteora," said Marco.

"If she's here, we've got to find her! It could be our only chance!"

Stepping over the refuse heap in their path, the two teenagers headed into the pitch black darkness of the foyer. It was next to impossible to see inside. All of the light fixtures were broken or otherwise compromised.

"Star!" exclaimed Marco, the inability to see disorienting him. "We could use some light in here!"

"On it."

The teenage princess activated her mirror phone's flashlight, illuminating a narrow cone of space in front of them. They could only see a couple feet in front of them due to a dense cloud of dust which hung in the air around them. Pointing the flashlight at the ground, a wide pile of spilled drinking glasses and half-eaten breakfast items could be seen.

"Okay, this is really weird," muttered Star. Confusion and worry now presented itself clearly on her face. "The mess outside, now this. What on Mewni could've happened here?"

Out of the blue, a pained voice called out from somewhere in front of them.

"Somebody! Anybody! Help!"

"Did you hear that, Marco?" asked Star. "Listen!"

"Is anybody there? I need help!" called out the voice.

"Oh my gosh!" yelled Star.

"Star? What's up?" asked Marco.

"I think that voice we heard might be Pony Head!"

"What?!"

"She sounds hurt! We have to find her!"

The Mewnian princess darted towards the sound of the voice, holding her mirror phone in one hand while dragging Marco along by his hoodie in the other. Arriving at a room in the back of the foyer with its door ajar, the two teenagers dashed inside. Within a couple paces, they found Pony Head. She lay on the ground, her teeth gritted down in obvious pain. A nasty tear on her forehead replaced where her horn was supposed to be.

"Pony Head!" excitedly said Star. She ran over towards Pony Head, tightly putting her arms around her. "It's you! Are you okay?"

"B-Fly! I never thought anyone would find me!"

Tears streamed down the equine's face, smearing her thick black mascara all over the front of Star's dress.

"What happened to your horn?" asked Marco.

"Me and the other princesses were having a party when out of the blue, Heinous showed up! She and her and cronies broke inside, and then ripped off my horn with her bare hands!"

The Mewnian princess brought her hand up towards her face, a gasp escaping from her lips.

"Star?!" exclaimed Marco. "What are we gonna do?!"

"We have to find Meteora and calm her down!" suggested Star. "She needs to know about my plan, somehow!"

"Are you crazy? She could've killed Pony Head, and you still want her to be queen?"

"Wait, what now?" interjected the teenage equine.

"Don't worry about it, Pony Head!" returned Star dismissively. "I just need to figure out where Meteora went!"

"You mean Heinous?"

"Whatever. Just tell me where she went!"

"But Star—" said Marco, trying to get Star's attention, but to no avail.

"I heard Heinous talking about 'taking back what's hers' before she attacked me. Maybe that has something to do with it!"

"I bet you're right," agreed Star. "We've gotta hurry, Marco. Let's go!"

"B-Fly!" yelled the teenage equine. "Don't forget about me!"

"Sorry, Pony Head!"

Star took her mirror phone and called Pony Head's dad.

"King Pony Head! Something bad's happened!" she exclaimed.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Miss Heinous attacked the brunch party!" yelled Pony Head. "And then she ripped my horn off!"

"That sounds… ghastly. I'll send a carriage from the castle to take you to the Royal Infirmary. It should be there in a few minutes, cupcake."

"Oh, thank you, Daddy! Please, hurry! It really hurts!"

Star closed her mirror phone and stashed it away in her purse.

"Don't worry, Pony Head! Your dad will be here soon!"

"I really hope so! Good luck out there, girl!"

Hastily slicing open a dimensional portal to Mewni, Star leaped through it, tugging Marco once again by the sleeve of his hoodie through the portal.

* * *

Manfred walked through the extensive halls of Butterfly Castle. A thick stack of papers rested in his hands. As he walked into next room, he found Queen Moon sitting down on her decorative throne. She held a tea cup in her right hand, while grasping a novel in the other. Approaching her quietly, as not to disturb her, he cleared his throat and bowed in respect.

"Your Majesty, I've compiled the daily briefing for you. I apologize if I've interrupted your leisure."

"Don't worry, Manfred. I'll catch up on my reading once I'm finished taking a look."

Moon received the brief from Manfred and perused over each page carefully.

"Let's see. First, there's a personal reminder from River about the upcoming Royals of Mewni conference. As requested in the feedback we received following the previous one, the length of the general session will be reduced by thirty percent. A formal banquet will follow the conference that evening to celebrate Penelope Spiderbite's sixteenth birthday."

"I'm certain that will be an event to be remembered."

Moon turned the paper over with her gloved hand, revealing the next page. "Next on the docket is a manifest from Standard Corn's production department. As of last week, eight million pounds are accounted for, with a further seventeen million in reserve. I'm sure they'll be the main sponsor of the Mewnian Cornball League for the thirtieth year in a row, and by a long shot."

"You know what they say, 'No game too small, no harvest too big'."

"Finally, we have a—"

Moon abruptly paused in shock. Her eyes darted back to the top of the page again. Taking a second look, she was taken aback by what was written out on the document.

"A report that a local village, Chestnut Hollow, was decimated by a surprise monster attack? This can't be right. This must have been placed in here by mistake from an old file. We haven't seen a monster attack anywhere in kingdom for years."

"I'm afraid it's genuine, my queen," said Manfred, his typical deadpan not faltering. "If you view the opposite site, you can see a rough sketch made of the creature."

A rough line drawing, showing a massive humanoid monster trampling through a village, covered the paper. Its face resembled Heinous's, albeit with distorted proportions. A chill ran through Moon, but she managed to stifle it from appearing on her face.

"Do you wish to send in the army?" asked Manfred.

"Actually, I'd better handle it on my own terms. It's likely to be a personal matter."

"How can some random monster attack be related to the crown?"

"For purposes of the kingdom's well-being, I'll advise you when the matter is resolved. Until then, adjourn your quarters and take time to relax."

"Very well, Your Highness. We shall meet again at that time."

Manfred left the room, presumably to hand the report to King River for his perusal. Once he was outside of earshot, Moon got up from the throne and headed for the stairs.

"To think I'd be asking Eclipsa for help, of all things," whispered Moon to herself. "Twice."

After ascending several flights of stairs, Queen Moon came to a narrow passageway which lead to Eclipsa's tower. Coming close to the door, Moon took hold of a key ring she kept on herself at all times. Selecting a key with a triangle-shaped bit, she inserted it into the door's keyhole before unlocking it. As she pushed the door open, the Queen of Darkness came into view. She sat in the center of the room, writing in a hardcover journal with an ink pen. Immediately noticing Moon's presence, she looked up to address her.

"Yes?" asked Eclipsa. "Do you need me for something?"

Moon nodded. "I do. Come with me downstairs, Eclipsa."

Moon and Eclipsa left the tower together, heading down the staircase.

"Eclipsa, I think your daughter's been found. Unfortunately, it appears that she has attacked a village, Chestnut Hollow, which is a few miles away from here."

"That does not sound good at all," returned Eclipsa.

"At any rate, we need to keep her from doing anything worse. The problem is, how do we find her? Manfred never specified in his report where the village in question was."

"Perhaps we should we set out on horseback. At the very least, that ought to be faster than trying to find her on foot, wherever she may be."

The two queens eventually reached the ground floor and made their way into the castle's warnicorn stable. It was circular in shape and contained over fifty rooms, each individually guarded by a tall iron gate.

"This place has certainly been expanded since I last saw it," noted Eclipsa. "Just how many warnicorns are there in here?

"Nineteen," answered Moon.

"Nineteen? What on Mewni would you need nineteen warnicorns for?"

"The royal trainers spend their days instructing them until they become tame and bold enough to join the soldiers who serve in the cavalry."

Moon approached a warnicorn on the far right side of the room, resting her hand near the door release button. "Except for this one."

"What's so special about this warnicorn?"

"This is Charlotte. She is a Blue Speckled/Coastal warnicorn mix. Her gait is incredibly steady, and her dogged determination knows no limits. She's been my personal steed since River and I rode her to the castle on the day of our wedding."

"Did you really?" asked Eclipsa, smiling. "Awww…"

"Another great warnicorn out of this bunch is Alroy, on Charlotte's left. As a pure-bred Central Mewnian warnicorn, he's a bit less ambitious, but he has outlasted every other warnicorn here in the yearly endurance exam."

"I'll take Alroy, then. I'm sure he's a fine warnicorn."

Moon reached into a crate and removed two saddles from the inside. One was teal with golden stripes, the other a solid burgundy. She kept the teal for herself and handed the other to Eclipsa. Eclipsa and Moon each opened the stable gates, quickly saddled up their warnicorns, and hopped on.

"You remember how to ride a warnicorn, Eclipsa?"

"It's been hundreds of years since my last time on one, but I'm certain I'll still be able to get my wits about me."

Taking their reins in hand, they both commanded their steeds to set out for the plains. As they exited the vast capital city, the first sign of trouble became apparent: a thick plume of dark smoke presented itself on the horizon to the east, rising high into the air.

"That… must be Meteora," said Moon.

Both royals commanded their warnicorns to gallop faster, an urgency to find out what was happening near the plume overcoming them. As they neared it, the smell of burning timbers slowly filled the air. A large, roughly oblate creature came into focus. A cacophony of terrified shrieks rang out from nearby. Finally, the whole picture became clear: they had not come across Chestnut Hollow, but instead a second village, likewise falling victim to Meteora's rampage.

"It's her, Eclipsa," whispered Moon.

The half-Monster, now two stories in height, plowed through a barn and several grain bins. The building and its supply stood no chance against the one ton behemoth, and within moments it was shredded to pieces, sending corn and splintered wood flying everywhere. A group of twenty townspeople, now directly in Meteora's path, scattered in a panic, carrying what little belongings they had evacuated before taking to the streets.

Eclipsa, now realizing what was taking place, could only manage two words:

"Oh, dear."


End file.
